Red tail roost

Was out hiking (with the wife) up in Lagunas yesterday and was ascending Red Tail Roost.

I saw a (fellow) mtbiker coming down, so me an the misses moved aside (well before) to let him go thru.

We were only off the trail about a foot or so...so, as the rider approaches us, he blurts out, "oh, sand..."....then proceeds to get stuck in it and promptly falls over on the opposite side of us...directly across from us. He was going kind of slow, so it made his fall seem like slow motion.

The "sand" was actually just 2-3 inches of loose, fine dirt (about 10 feet long on the trail). He should have had a little more speed and lifted the front wheel up a tad.

Anywho, as he was lying down....all cool points lost...he says, "not the first time, won't be the last" Of course, I said, "welcome to the club!"

I started to chuckle (just a bit) as he was getting up. I couldn't help it! I have taken many dirt naps and such, so I felt I was entitled. The guy was a good sport and "understood"..and continued on his ride.

*NOTE: No bikers, hikers, forest critters, or dirt was hurt in this unfortunate event!

It was a great day to be up there. Me and a buddy were also riding in the area (didn't do Red Tail, but we were in the general vicinity - BLT, Gatos, Agua Dulce, Penny Pines, some trail off Los Huecos...). There were a TON of hikers, kids, and dogs out enjoying the day. Maybe we passed you!

It was a great day to be up there. Me and a buddy were also riding in the area (didn't do Red Tail, but we were in the general vicinity - BLT, Gatos, Agua Dulce, Penny Pines, some trail off Los Huecos...). There were a TON of hikers, kids, and dogs out enjoying the day. Maybe we passed you!

We did some of the BLT - from Red Tail Roost connector to BLT/PCT TH. Also, we were on all of Agua Dulce...saw a couple of solo bikers, hikers, and several on horse back.
A good day, in deed! The only (legal) trail off Los Huecos that I can recall is the fire road near where the BLT crosses with Los Huecos...is that the one? If there is another one (quasi or not)...do tell....just want to make sure I don't poach it unknowingly!

Nah, I'm pretty sure it isn't a poach. It's a well-established trail, with no signs or fences blocking access (although I don't think there was a sign granting access, either). It was the one going from BLT-25 down to BLT-4 on MTBBill's map. Fun, short little trail. My riding buddy said some folks call it "Little Noble" because of the short chunky section in the middle. We rode into the campground from BLT, then up Los Huecos Rd. to get to it. Stopped and chatted with a couple of horseback riders (who are also MTBers) at the start of it.

Nah, I'm pretty sure it isn't a poach. It's a well-established trail, with no signs or fences blocking access (although I don't think there was a sign granting access, either). It was the one going from BLT-25 down to BLT-4 on MTBBill's map. Fun, short little trail. My riding buddy said some folks call it "Little Noble" because of the short chunky section in the middle. We rode into the campground from BLT, then up Los Huecos Rd. to get to it. Stopped and chatted with a couple of horseback riders (who are also MTBers) at the start of it.

BLT25 to BLT4...that's a long established trail, part of the BLT as a whole. It hasn't changed much since the early 90s when I first rode it. Are you sure you aren't a noob!!??

Somebody actually did some trail work on it and widened the upper part of it before it hits Los Huecos bc it's more rideable now than before, in that, before, it was pretty gauged down and your pedals would hit the sides most of the way up. Spot NAMs all around! I did notice one thing this w/e...on Bill's map, the yellow connector just east of that is a recent continuance of the old fire road and it used to dead end just past where you take the BLT ST down to Sunrise Hwy....appears it has been extended since I was last up there a few years back. The olde signage near Los Huecos still states that part of the fire road is not a thru road. The more things change...

Well, I only discovered BLT about 8 years ago, so I've probably only ridden there around 20-30 times - if that makes me a n00b, so be it! I think I rode that trail in the other direction a few years back when our group made a wrong turn trying to get back to Red Tail via Escondido Ravine. We ended up on Los Huecos Rd. and rode it all the way up to the highway.

Originally Posted by Ray Raton

What were the temps like that day, roughly....I'm thinking ahead to next weekend.

Seemed like it was in the mid-high 70's all day. We were there from around 9 to 12, then we headed over to Descanso Junction Cafe for lunch.

Well, I only discovered BLT about 8 years ago, so I've probably only ridden there around 20-30 times - if that makes me a n00b, so be it! I think I rode that trail in the other direction a few years back when our group made a wrong turn trying to get back to Red Tail via Escondido Ravine. We ended up on Los Huecos Rd. and rode it all the way up to the highway.

Seemed like it was in the mid-high 70's all day. We were there from around 9 to 12, then we headed over to Descanso Junction Cafe for lunch.

Thanks. BTW, there is a MUCH better place to eat now right up on Mt. Laguna, the Pine House Grill & Tavern. I think the cost might be a buck or two more, but the chef/owner was a former 4-star chef with a strong leaning towards local, organic ingredients. And they have at least two first rate local micro-brews on tap at all times. It's right next door to the Burnt Rancheria Campground.

Ray
My son and I stopped today for lunch after our ride. Darn good burger and fries that weren't that store bought junk tossed on the grill but homemade goodness.
Like you said, it's a couple of bucks more but ya gotta spend your money somewhere so I spent mine there and loved it. After missing the traffic due to the fire they could use it more than the local chains

Ray
My son and I stopped today for lunch after our ride. Darn good burger and fries that weren't that store bought junk tossed on the grill but homemade goodness.
Like you said, it's a couple of bucks more but ya gotta spend your money somewhere so I spent mine there and loved it. After missing the traffic due to the fire they could use it more than the local chains

Glad to hear it, DR. They are good people and their business is growing. That place has always seemed to have some kinda bad feng shui, Ju-Ju, or whatever. These folks have the moxie, the skills, and a very real potential to break that buildings' losing streak.

Hey....so gimme a report on the heat up there. I want to go up tomorrow, but I don't wanna ride in heat-stroke conditions. If you gimme the thumbs-up, I'll make sure to eat there after my ride, too.
BTW, they make a genuinely kickass cobbler!

You were absolutely right. The temps were not that bad until around 1 pm. which was a couple hours after I finished riding. The post-ride beverage was indeed above average, and the burger was its' usual awesome. A great little 1/2 day getaway.

On a tangent note, Anyone see any turkeys in the Rec Center lately? Thanks Bill

I see wild Turkeys just about every time we go up there...in all areas of the park. According to legend, they are not indigenous and were released by locals with the last 100 years or so and have now made the park area their home.

Yesterday, during the thunderstorms and torrential rains, (after our 8-mile hike on the BLT/PCT) we saw two deer, a buck and a doe, in Lagunas. The buck ran across the road right in front of us in the Chariot Fire burn area. It had no problem running up hill and jumping over the 4ft barbed wire fence. No, there were no tell-tale bicycle tracks on the PCT, if there were, the evidence was all washed away from the rains!

I see wild Turkeys just about every time we go up there...in all areas of the park. According to legend, they are not indigenous and were released by locals with the last 100 years or so and have now made the park area their home.

Yesterday, during the thunderstorms and torrential rains, (after our 8-mile hike on the BLT/PCT) we saw two deer, a buck and a doe, in Lagunas. The buck ran across the road right in front of us in the Chariot Fire burn area. It had no problem running up hill and jumping over the 4ft barbed wire fence. No, there were no tell-tale bicycle tracks on the PCT, if there were, the evidence was all washed away from the rains!

Thanks. The San Diego turkeys were released by Fish and Game at the Eagle Peak Hunting club in the early 90s. Two hundred, I think. They have really spread out in the county and multiplied. It sounds like deer are already hitting the burn area. The Forest Circus does or did prescribed burns in the Rec Center and it seemed to be real beneficial. The real question is have the feral pigs reached the Lagunas yet? Bill

Turkeys crossed over from the Cuyamacas into the Lagunas around 8-10 years ago. Some people thought they would never leave the park, but now the Lagunas are lousy with them. The mountain lions and bobcats and coyotes out that way now have a more balanced diet.

To me, they are an invasive species, eating the food sources that other animals would normally get, and should therefore be eradicated. Open season. I took one, no, two, at a friend's trailer in a park adjacent to Cuyamaca with a very accurate hunting air rifle. Legal method of take in CA. Two head shots, two turkeys. They are a serious hassle to get ready for the table. I don't mind killing them, but I hate the cleaning part.
That's wimmen's work!

Reporting live from Big Laguna meadow spur trail to Sunset Trail. So, as me and the wife were hiking up the spur, I hear a crack up in the tree tops. At first I thought it was a woodpecker...then I hear a louder crack and see movement at the base of a nearby tree. I yell at my wife to look over there where i am pointing....she's like at what...then i tell her that tree is falling keep watching. Took all of 5 seconds for it to fall. It was a dead Sycamore tree about 25 feet tall. Never saw a tree fall in the forest before by natural causes...and, yes, they do make a sound!